As international trade and investment have grown, international business disputes have followed. Most companies prefer to resolve these disputes through arbitration under trusted international rules rather than in unfamiliar foreign courts.

McMillan's International Arbitration Group advocates for clients before a wide range of international arbitration tribunals. We have handled international arbitrations involving parties from every corner of the world and arising from international contracts in all major industries.

Our lawyers also help companies that are active in emerging economies, which can introduce additional legal and political risks for foreign investments. We assist companies whose investments are threatened by the actions of a host state. We also have represented investors in arbitrations brought against states under a wide range of investment protection treaties, including the North American Free Trade Agreement, as well as Canadian and other bilateral investment treaties.

McMillan has consistently been ranked by Global Arbitration Review as one of the few Canadian firms that are among the 100 leading firms in the world in the field of international arbitration. Members of our team have also been recognized by leading directories such as Chambers Global, Who's Who Legal: Commercial Arbitration, Best Lawyers in Canada, Lexpert and Euromoney's Guide to the Leading Experts in Commercial Arbitration.

McMillan professionals help clients lead by:

Representing them before arbitral tribunals established under the rules of all major Canadian, international and regional institutions including:

The British Columbia International Commercial Arbitration Centre

The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law

The ICC International Court of Arbitration

The International Centre for Dispute Resolution of the American Arbitration Association

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes

The London Court of International Arbitration

The Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce

The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre

Assisting clients with the design of arbitration provisions in commercial contracts

Advising on corporate structures to take advantage of investment treaty protections

Natural Resources & Energy

ICC (Geneva): Acted for Brilliant Resources against the Republic of Equatorial Guinea in a dispute arising from an exploration services agreement. The company publicly disclosed a settlement entitling it to US$31.5 million in compensation

Represented a major multinational mining company in a US$100 million ICC arbitration seated in Paris involving a joint venture in a West African state

Represented a listed mining company in a dispute over mining rights before the Mongolian National Arbitration Court

Acted for a Canadian mining company in an arbitration commenced by its Venezuelan joint venture partner

Acted for a listed international energy company in a US$1.4 billion dispute arising from a long-term gas supply contract and successfully defended the award in subsequent court challenges. Our client was awarded US$1.3 million in costs